Chemistry classroom safety

The reaction is so exothermic that the heat produced can ignite the hydrogen gas and cause it to explode. The demonstration of this reaction is common in chemistry classrooms. The demonstration must be performed very carefully under supervision so that the container in which the reaction is taking place does not explode, spewing hot NaOH (a caustic alkali) on nearby persons. As a safety measure, the demonstration is done with only tiny pellets of sodium. 

Many standard chemistry practicals have been carried out safely in schools for decades and there have seldom been serious accidents. Yet clearly there are particular potential hazards involved in some practical work. It is important to keep the potential risks of practical activities (whether observed by, or undertaken by, the students) in perspective, yet to remember that student safety must be your paramount concern. In this book, the margin icon shown here is used to alert you to particular safety issues that you should be aware of Recommended activities are considered suitable for classroom use by the authors. However, assessing risk is not just about the activity, but also the people and the conditions. The same practical may be viable with some teaching groups and not others. 

It is the vision and hope of the authors that if the chemistry academic community has a textbook about laboratory and chemical safety that they will use parts or all of it in the laboratory or classroom curriculum. This book was written from the heart as a result of a passion for laboratory and chemical safety. The authors recognize, as do many others, that there is a need to improve the level of knowledge and education about laboratory and chemical safety among new and upcoming chemists and other laboratory scientists who work in laboratories and handle chemicals and other hazardous materials in their operations. 

A high school teacher, carrying out a chemistry demonstration, was using methanol with some chemical salts when a sudden explosion occurred that burned several students in the front row. Three students received serious burns to their faces, necks, arms, hands, and legs. The other students in the classroom ran from the room. Media reported that there was a lack of safety oversight that is common in many schools and inspections are rare. 

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